Caution No More
by The StripedHatter
Summary: "What is it this time?" He glanced at her and let a brief smile cross his lips. "Titans themed party. In honor of your eighteenth birthday." / Raven takes a moment to assess her decisions, and thinks maybe it's time for a change. Beast Boy just wants her to be safe, but she just wants to belong.
1. Billy

**It's been a while since I've attempted a multi-chapter story… so here's the deal. I write this, finish it, then I do my high school AU. After that, I totally redo Wrecked. Rewrite and continuation. I'll have a couple one-shots in between, but these'll be my big projects.**

**This first chapter alone here has taken me ages, so please be patient with me. I'll get this thing updated as soon as possible every time, I swear! I have the whole plot and everything set up for this, so here goes. I hope it's satisfactory.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a typical morning, one in which Raven found herself to be enjoying rather thoroughly. She was poised in the air above the roof, facing out towards the water as the wind coming off of the pulsing blue glass slightly stirred her hair and cloak about her. For every deep breath she took in, there was a deep breath out. Her eyes were closed as her lips moved with a silent chant of her usual mantra, centering her soul and relieving herself of the world around her.

She focused on that little sprout of emptiness and prodded it gently to bloom and consume her. Her surroundings, her thoughts, her innermost emotions tumbled away as she was left with an overwhelming sense of calm. All of her burdens: forgotten. All of her woes: dismissed. All of her weaknesses: banished. Here, she simply existed in a state of nothing. And as nothing, she was perfectly content.

Her little mental alarm clock shouldered its way up into her awareness, telling her she'd been meditating for a solid five hours now. She frowned, opening her eyes slowly and cat-like to the noon sun. She didn't want to leave the nothingness, but she figured she'd have to at some point. As with every other day, she unfolded her legs and sighed. When her boots made contact with the flat surface of the roof again, she headed into the tower for a transitional mug of tea.

"Hey, Raven," Robin greeted her as she walked through the doors to the main ops. room. He was seated at the curved couch, mug of coffee and newspaper in hand. He lifted the paper to wave.

She nodded in response. "Hello." White mug on the table, Raven started boiling her water. "Anything new?"

"Not really. Just a few petty thefts, a fire, and the mayor making another bonehead decision."

Reaching for her preferred flavor of tea, she rolled her eyes. "Big surprise. What is it this time?"

He glanced at her and let a brief smile cross his lips. "Titans themed party. In honor of your eighteenth birthday."

She dropped the tea box to the floor, a single bag clutched between two fingers of her left hand. "Pardon me?"

Robin chuckled. "Yeah well. You have the only age and birthday that anybody outside the team knows about."

"Yeah," she seethed, "I wonder how that happened."

"Hey now, no need to growl at me. That was all Beast Boy and Starfire."

Her eyes narrowed with a sour emotion, and she was glad to have taken the time to meditate earlier this morning. Otherwise, she probably would have shot him out the window. "Yes, well. For _future_ reference, I claim he had it coming." At that opportune moment, a scream sounded behind her and she whirled to take the kettle off of the stove. Water poured, tea prepped, she took a seat at one of the side sofas and reached for one of the many books she stored next to the furniture.

She tried to read, in all of her life it never took so much willpower to try and soak in a simple sentence. Maybe it would of helped had the book been right side up, even if by now she could read upside down reversed text in the dark with ease. With a defeated, silent sigh, she gave up. Her thoughts roamed to a time nearly a year ago. Her seventeenth birthday.

Each time a titan had a birthday, they'd throw a little celebration and eat a cake or six, as well as buy a couple presents. Last year, the titans had been determined to make it her best birthday ever after the… previous events. They'd gone all out. The tower was littered with confetti, strung with miles of streamers, and stacked up with all sorts of sugary foods. The table was covered with wrapped gifts.

She was never one for advertising her birthday, nor did she normally enjoy a large celebration. But the thought that went into it made her smile a little and go along with it. The presents were all perfect, she cherished each one. They were practical and useful. Well, most of them were. There were a few luxuries that looked more than a little expensive, and she had a small idea as to whom it was to dig into their pockets and dish those out for her.

Yet, there was always a small doubt in her mind. Those expensive gifts seemed as though they were from two different people. Now surely nobody was hiding any wealth from her… right? Robin had stated once in conversation that he was up in social class… but everybody else said they left behind their old lives and the banks that went with them.

She focused her mind on the birthday again, no reason to ponder on _that_ now. She'd done so before and ended up nowhere.

Later that night, Starfire and Beast Boy had dragged her and then begged the others to the city where they raided shops and occasionally stopped for tea and sodas. Everywhere they went, the two in lead shouted out with glee that it was Raven's birthday. She was not at all happy about that, but when she approached them and Starfire stood taller with Beast Boy still shorter, albeit by only a few inches, she couldn't bring herself to do more than just scold.

She knew she'd come to regret it.

Starfire then burst into the room, excitement palpable. "Glorious news, my friends. I have been watching Silkie for the two hours now, and he is still alive!" She giggled and pulled Robin into a quick kiss. "I heard a 'gurgle' and now know that he was only taking a very long nap as he removed his coat. I wonder why he was wearing one…"

Raven studied Robin as he shook his head and laughed lightly, and she realized that he'd finally given up on trying to correct her on things. She reached out with her senses, pleased to find that he now rather much enjoyed her innocent mind-set. More than before, anyways. Thinking on it, though, she found herself in slight disagreement with Robin. Starfire was not innocent. A warrior princess who'd experienced life as a slave, simply ignorant to certain aspects of earthen ways.

As Star made her way to the fridge to begin prepping her breakfast, another figure stumbled through the doorway.

Groggy and tired, Beast Boy made his way over to Robin and fell down beside him on the couch. He looked at his leader and friend to say something, but he stopped short and slammed his mouth shut. His green eyes formed slits as they tried to analyze some sort of situation Raven seemed to be missing out on.

Then he leapt off the couch with a newfound vigor and thrust and arm in the air. "Yes!" He raced around to where the alien stared curiously from the counter and stood eye to eye with her, moving his hand from the top of his head to her nose. "Yes!" He exclaimed again. "Stand up, Raven!"

"I beg your pardon?"

He made his way quickly over towards the empathy and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her up.

"Beast Boy!" She scolded quietly but forcefully.

"Look, Rae!" I beamed excitedly, standing directly in front of her.

"Look at what? Your childish, green face?" That's when she noticed, though. His face was lean. Sure, it was an evolution and hadn't just happened over night. But… he now looked so much more mature. His eyes were bright with a perpetual youth, but set above sharper cheekbones and shaped features. Still boyish, most definitely. Nothing could take that away from him. Still, older. She swept her gaze over the rest of his form. He was still thin and wiry, but had a layer of lean muscle with his years of active crime-fighting.

She looked back up at his face and was startled to discover that her vision was set to his chin.

She must have shown some sort of surprise, because his grin grew shrewd. "And now… you are officially _the shortest _person on the team."

"Dear Azar, is that all you were jumping around for? A couple more inches?"

"Hey!" He frowned. "More than you can say. You're done growing. Forever," he sneered.

"I'd be willing to bet that you are too, now."

"Challenge accepted!" He exclaimed. "What are the terms?"

"If you don't grow anymore after my birthday by the time it's _your_ birthday, I'll require that you leave me alone upon request for the next five months. Maybe it'll get you in the habit."

"Okay, and if I _do _grow… then…" he took the time to seriously consider. She was patient, surely he was trying to gather a plethora of orders for her to complete. "You kiss me."

That was something she was most certainly _not_ expecting. She was ready and prepared for commands such as pulling off pranks for him or cleaning his room or acting as wingman/woman or all of those together. So of course, she figured she must of heard wrong. "Excuse me, what?"

He grinned as if he'd just found the answer to the world. "At least a minute long, on the lips. Anything other than that is up to you, but it will be your punishment for losing the bet. And you have to do it as soon as I win."

Her eyes flashed with defiance. Both were sincerely stubborn and in no chance ever going to back down from a bet of this caliber. "You're on," she thrust a hand out.

He pretended to spit on his hand, presumably just to annoy her as she figured, before taking her hand in a firm shake. "Deal," he finalized. Neither let go of the other's hands, though. They stood there, gazing into each other's daring eyes and clasping hands.

"Y'all need to get a room one of these days," an entering voice interrupted their trance. Raven pulled her hand away and turned to see the doors closing behind Cyborg.

"Good morning," she sighed as she dutifully ignored the insinuation that her and Beast Boy had need for 'a room'.

"Cy!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I need you to measure me every day between Raven's birthday and mine. Let's go."

Raven watched as he pulled the larger, confused man along to be measured elsewhere.

"Quite the differing terms of payment on the bet," Robin put in from behind her.

She turned to face him. "Yes, well. He's eluded himself either way. There is no way he's growing anymore and there is no way he'll be winning the bet."

"He's probably thinking the same thing, you know."

"Oh most certainly. I think, actually, that I'd rather enjoy getting his hopes up, too."

She raised her book back up to her eyes, still upside-down, and missed the worried glance shared between the alien and acrobat.

.:..:..:.

The next day, Raven mentally crossed out yesterday's date on her little 'mind calendar'. Three more days until her birthday, and three more days until the bet would begin. Normally, Raven was never one to indulge in any sort of gamble, much less a wager on _growth_. The idea of five silent months, however, ceased the voice in the back of her mind that was telling her to quit now.

She dressed in a fresh leotard and cloak before heading down to greet the others {those who were awake, mind you} and prepare herself breakfast. She was pleasantly surprised to see Cyborg already up and moving alongside Robin, and took the opportunity to mention how long it had been since she'd last had waffles.

Not much later, she was seated by a waffle-stacked plate as Cyborg made a verbal note of how he'd make waffles any time his 'little lady' so desired. She had to smother a grin and settled for a fond smirk.

The oh-so-fearless leader hid his face behind the day's newspaper and cleared his throat. "So, three days until the party. I've been informed that it will begin at seven at night and last until midnight. Formal wear," he added with a sniff. "So, uh… Star wants to go dress shopping with you." He could feel, _feel_ the empath's glare through his newspaper. "It can't be all _that _bad, Raven. She knows what kind of things you like…"

"It isn't her decisions, more so the fact she'll want to look in every store there is."

"She's just curious-"

"Yeah, I know. Wants to figure out _what is in the store of 'Secrets of Victoria'."_

Robin sighed, "You know how much she appreciates spending time with you." He lowered the newspaper so he could look at her fully. She shoved a forkful of waffle in her mouth as he continued. "It's just a method of prolonging it."

She swallowed. "Uh-huh, whatever. We leave at eleven," she paused. "All of us."

"All… of us?"

"Yes," she raised a brow dubiously, "Don't tell me you already have a formal suit."

He smirked, "Actually-"

"And you expect Beast Boy and Cyborg to be capable of collecting their own suits?" She asked innocently.

"I'm right here. Y'all know that, right?"

"I suppose not…" Robin finally grumbled, ignoring Cyborg's protests. "Alright. I'll get the other two around. We leave in an hour."

Raven nodded and continued to eat her waffles, watching as Robin left to gather the rest of the team. Cyborg sat down next to her and started in on his own plate of waffles and bacon. The two sat in a comfortable silence, simply indulging in their own thoughts and enjoying the other's silent company.

"Should I…" Cyborg trailed off unsurely.

Raven set her fork down and turned to him. "Yes, Cyborg?"

"Should I wear a halo-ring to the party?"

She was silent a moment, then she smiled lightly. "Why are you cautious about it? How else are you going to fit in dress shoes?"

He smiled and brought her in for a side hug. Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around him as well.

"Cyborg," she looked up at him earnestly. "If you want to be seen as Victor Stone for the day, you don't need permission from _anybody_. You are who you want to be." She stood and rinsed her dish, then stooped to put it in the dish washer. "I actually think it'd be best if we all wear halo rings to the shops today, actually. In an effort to not make this more painful than it already is."

"Yeah. Hey, thanks, Raven."

The corners of her mouth lifted lightly and she nodded. "Anytime. So long as you give me waffles." Then she left to prepare for the day, and tell Robin about the halo rings.

After hunting down the Boy Wonder and convincing him to have everybody wear their civvie suits, Raven shuffled through her drawers for some normal clothing. Each of the Titans had what they called a 'civvie suit'. It consisted of a halo ring custom made by Cyborg, and a few sets of regular clothing. Starfire had gone a little overboard, though, and has at least ten sets of each colour of the rainbow as well as seven formal gowns and a shoe collection to rival the mall.

Apparently the mall of earthly wonders truly fascinated her.

Since she'd be trying things on, Raven took out clothes that were easy to change in and out of. She ended up in a black ankle-length skirt and tee covered by a royal purple cardigan, unbuttoned. She slipped on a pair of purple elf-boots, similar to her usual pair. Before heading to the ops. room, she took her halo ring out of her side-table drawer and slid it onto her right ring finger.

Passing her mirror, she caught sight of her civilian façade. Cold blue eyes stared back at her, hair about three inches longer and painted black. Her greyish skin was… normal. Still pale, but pinkish white as a regular, full human could be.

She shook her head and left.

In the main operations room, she was met with a slightly unsettling sight. A jean-clad, red tee-shirt donning Richard, combed hair and dazzling blue eyes, was talking merrily to a fully human Victor. Her oldest 'brother' was dressed in a pair of loose jeans and flannel button up, undone over a plain wife-beater. Richard fidgeted with the leather jacket slung over his arm and nodded in greeting to her as she entered.

Raven tilted her head up in response then slid her attention over to the remaining two members, fiddling with something over at the couch. She grimaced slightly to see them in some sort of hold, intertwined as they both reached out for something while simultaneously trying to push the other back. Kori's straight, now more natural red hair tumbled down to her waist where her loose tank top met her leggings.

Beneath her, Raven caught sight of a tan young man with messy, sandy blonde hair and a pair of basketball shorts and loose hoodie. She saw a playful gleam in his usual green eyes and was reminded of overhearing his vehement argument to keeping his eyes green. For some reason, he refused to give his holographic image his birth-given eye colour. She was curious, naturally, but he denied any information and so she let it go. Loudly, she cleared her throat to grab the attention of the two wrestlers.

Both stopped their struggle and snapped their heads over to her simultaneously. Both of their grins grew, Garfield's slightly bigger. Somehow. "Raven! Err… Rachel, I guess."

Despite Raven being her given name, she had to take Rachel as her civilian name. Elsewise… a civilian with the name Raven might draw attention. "Good afternoon, Garfield. Kori." Each of the titans were comfortable enough to know each other's given names. The only two who hadn't had to give their full names were the girls, Raven who had no other and Starfire who had in the beginning introduced herself as Koriand'r. Those were the names used for their civvie suits, save for Raven who had no other and Starfire who shortened her name to Kori Anders.

"Friend, please. I am trying to obtain the remote before B-_Garfield_ so I may have first choice of television show," she explained gleefully.

Raven waved her hand, beside it. "Doesn't matter, we're leaving." When the two simply stared back at her, she growled and used her powers to separate them, placing each at far ends of the couch. She muttered something under her breath and turned around. Dutifully ignoring the looks on the other two boys' faces, she motioned the team to hurry up. "The sooner this is over with, the better."

The car ride was for the most part silent, Cyborg-excuse me, Victor-drove with Richard riding passenger. Rachel was sandwiched in the middle of the backseat, mentally ticking off musts for the dreaded evening gown she'd need for the party in just a few short days.

Kori could have very well stayed behind, already having several suitable dresses to choose from. She'd decided it was a necessity to help Raven pick hers out, though, and since this was a special occasion: get a new, special dress for herself.

Once at the mall, Rachel and Richard set up the meeting place to be in the food court by Arby's and the time to be around three. That accomplished, the girls went off in one direction and the boys in another. The first place Kori wanted to visit was Macy's, and the two went up the escalator to reach the everyday items.

"Umm.. St-Kori? Why are we coming up here? I thought clothing was downstairs."

"We must collect items for our hair and make-up, friend," she smiled.

Rachel grumbled under her breath, "Fantastic." She followed the taller, still-tan-but-not-orange girl through the second level and found herself carrying an assortment of specialized hair-care products and make-up kits. "You don't already have these?"

"Rachel!" she gasped. "I have only the basic things, look! This curler gives the tightest curls ever to have been seen, and this one says it gives straight hair to last for a week!"

"How much do these things cost, Kori?"

She shrugged lightly, "Ro-Richard said I could spend however much I needed. To use our Titans Cards and he'd pay them off later."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel lit up when she found a plastic carrier laying empty on a counter. Just as she was about to dump everything from her arms to the basket, a large, tan hand swiped it away from her. "Hey!" she snarled, indignant. When she whirled around to confront the jerk, she felt all emotion drop from her face to the point where it was blank and agape. Her heart jerked for a moment and she just caught her mouth from sliding open.

Standing before her was a gorgeous man, and if she'd been thinking properly she probably could have compared him to Aqualad. His dark hair was combed back, golden eyes glittering, tall, broad frame standing in a position that suggested he was front and center at all times. "H-hey…" she mumbled.

He smirked and stuck out a hand, "William McCunther." Then he pulled his hand back slowly. "Oh wait, guess your hands are too full to shake, aren't they? You should probably find yourself a cart or basket…" he drawled.

She was thankful Kori had wandered over, as she shoved everything she was holding into the redhead's arms and snatched the basket away from William. "Yes, thank you for the advice." She swiped everything from Kori's hold into the basket and then gave that to her afterwards so she could turn on Mr. Gorgeous A. Hole. His face was mix between a scowl and a sneer. "What's your name?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Can't even give me your first name?"

"Rachel."

"Mmm… beautiful name to match the face," he grinned haughtily.

"Both of which are on the outside, take a look at my personality and background and you'll be crying for your mother," she scowled.

"Better than my father though, isn't it?" He lifted his head in appreciation to her challenge, "I'll see you around, Rachel."

"You wish," she snarled to his retreating figure. When he was gone, she finally let the small smile she'd been hiding grace her features before biting her bottom lip to keep it down.

Kori was beside herself, smiling and giggling. "Rachel! What was that?"

She waved her hand and grumbled. "Nothing, let's go."

They bought the hair and make-up products then entered the restrooms, where Rachel went into a stall and teleported their bags back to the tower so they wouldn't have to carry them around. Apparently the reason Kori wanted to get those things before trying on dresses was because she knew Rachel could teleport them, and wanted to make sure she wouldn't forget. Classic.

Downstairs, Rachel did her best to steer clear of the perfumes and found the evening gowns. Kori selected a few dresses for herself and went to try them on, leaving Rachel to her own devices for the time being. She skimmed through the floor length options, immediately dissing the brighter, more vibrant selections such as that sparkly pink or princess-styled yellow. She ended up trying on a 'Royal Tiara' coloured gown, _'Xscape Embellished Flyaway Halter Gown'_ , the tag labeled it.

Kori insisted on seeing it, so she stepped cautiously out of the stall so she could see. "Oh, Rachel! It looks most beautiful!"

Blushing a little, Rachel nodded slowly. "I don't know. I like it but… I don't think I'll be buying it. It doesn't really… work for me. A little too open."

Shyly, Kori twidled her fingers, "Do you suppose it would be alright if I… were to try it on?"

Corners of her mouth lifting, Rachel nodded. "Of course."

Gathering the smaller girl in a hug, ("Kori… breath") she left her to change out of the gown and sought out a dress like Raven's in her own size.

Rachel tried on a few more dresses, but each had their own problems. This one showed to much skin, that one was too short, one even had awkward sleeves and despite having a nice appeal, she got rid of that one as well.

Kori had decided to purchase the Halter Gown she'd liked that Rachel tried, and after spending about three-hundred total on that, the girls left to find another shop. They raided every store that had even a hat in it, even going so far as to try the Halloween Shoppe. Nothing. While Rachel was frustrated beyond comprehension, Kori found a sort of pleasure in their little 'scavenger hunt'.

All the way across the mall from where they began, they walked into the final store. There was low lighting, classy furniture, and racks upon racks of clear-covered dresses. Well. This might have been the place to start.

The two started scanning through the dresses when a well-dressed, middle-aged woman approached. "Good afternoon ladies, can I help you find something?"

"Um," Rachel said gracefully. "Yes, please. I need an evening gown for an upcoming party. A… conservative gown," she added slowly.

The woman looked her over. "Alright, I think I know just what you're looking for. Come over here, let's size you up." On the way to a small platform, the employee grabbed a tape measure off a counter as well as a small pad of paper and a pen. "I'm Marah, by the way."

"Rachel, and this is Kori."

"Nice to meet you two. Have- just step right up there- have you two been looking around long?"

Rachel blew out a breath, "Hours… speaking of which, we have a half hour before we need to meet the boys, Kori."

"I'll call them and inform them we'll be a little late," she responded, then stepped out of the store to do so.

Marah jotted some things down then motion her to a chair, a chair that Rachel crumpled into gladly. "These boys escorting you two?"

"Wha- oh. Oh no. Well… one of them is going with Kori. The other two boys will probably be inviting some other plus-ones. I think I'll be going alone, though," she sighed, "I really can't be bothered."

"Well," she smiled, sticking her pen into the bun on the back of her head, "When we get you a dress here, I can assure you it'll have all the boys dropping their jaws. You're a naturally pretty girl, Rachel. The dress we pick out here will just highlight it, then we'll see how bothered you are."

As Marah wandered away to sift through dresses, Rachel found herself thinking over her words. The whole thing about how bothered she is wasn't foremost on her mind, though, rather the previous comment. She called Rachel pretty, but what will everyone think about _Raven _coming down those steps at the party?

She didn't really get to guess because Kori returned and told her that she'd given them another half hour. Kori took a seat next to her, and waited a couple minutes until Marah returned. When she did, she had five dresses in tow. Each, through the clear plastic, was a dark colour and floor length, each with sleeves and decent necklines. Rachel was glad to note that they all had backs.

Without her cloak, she'd need all the coverage she could get. Maybe she should invest in insurance as well…

The first dress was a deep purple, long sleeved and mermaid styled. She wasn't a fan of the skirt, nor the beaded waistline, so they moved on to dress number two. This one was navy blue and had sleeves to the elbows, but the tight, clinging fit had her cautious. Dress three… black and downright breathtaking. The sleeves were short, and the neck ended a little low… but heavy, thick lace covered the remaining space above and went a couple inches up her neck. It lightly hugged her figure, but flared out at the knees.

"I…" she started nervously, "I really like this one."

Marah smiled brightly. "Me, too. Alex Perry Catori, on the list. Let's finish up here to see if any of these are any good, as well." **(A/N: **These are real dresses BTW, the two I've picked out for Raven and Star, so you can google them and check 'em out.**) **

The next was a dark green, very loose and the top a thick halter. Even with sashes that hung over her upper arms, the bare shoulders reminded her of how that last dress was covered. The last was another black, sheath and long sleeved. This one also climbed her neck, but the semi-transparent sides –ranging from mid-side to hip – had her shaking her head.

"Alright," Marah smiled. "You like the Catori?"

"Like it? I love it! I never thought I'd hear myself say that about a formal gown but… it's perfect." She put her boot on and checked the dressing room in case she'd forgotten anything. "So, how much is it?"

"Well, you're in luck. This week we're taking twenty percent off of everything… which should bring that dress to… well we'll just round it down to one-thousand four-hundred."

Rachel stopped in her tracks and seemed to choke on the air in her lungs. "One-thou- that's _twenty percent off?_"

Kori stepped up, "She is not used to dress shopping, that is quite the steal for a dress like that, Marah. Many thanks!" She smiled and pulled out her card to pay for the dress.

She dragged Rachel out of the store, still spluttering over the price, dress in tow.

"Good luck with those boys, Dear!" Marah called after her with a smile.

.:..:..:.

The boys were waiting at a table, three in from Arby's, in the food court. They were throwing fries at one another, trying to make it as hard as possible for the other to catch it with their mouths. The girls arrived to witness Garfield dive, literally dive, off the chair to catch a missile de Victor. He turned his head and was met with the sight of a heavy skirt, and trailing up slowly, a disapproving gleam in unfamiliar, cold blue eyes.

"Hey, Rae! How was dress shopping?" He scurried to stand.

Rachel held her gown up, this time outfitted with an opaque black dress cover. Kori decided to follow suit, and held her own bag up. "Yes, friend, we have joyfully collected our gowns for the upcoming evening."

_"Joyfully," _the dark teen repeated.

"Rav-Rachel!" Kori gasped.

"Yes…?" she ventured. Near terrified that the disguised alien had remembered shoes, she took that moment to steal Gar's seat. ("Hey!") When Kori just pointed to something, her brow lifted and she trailed her gaze to the given direction. What she saw iced her somewhat. Oh how she did _not _want to deal with this right then.

"Rachel! Fancy meeting you again."

"Pleasurable, you mean," she put on a gallant scowl.

He hummed in agreement. "These your friends?"

Rachel didn't have time to open her mouth when Garfield spoke in a low voice, "Yes. And you're not. Who are you, exactly?"

He looked Gar over for a second before answering, "William McCunther." He held his hand out to be shaken.

"Garfield Logan," the response came slowly, and the teen had to be careful when gripping William's hand. A weird possessiveness strangled his inhibitions, and he felt a feral sense try to wrangle his control away. He shoved the feeling down and pulled his hand away only when sensing Rachel's confusion and discomfort. "What brings you here , Billy? Want some fries?" He held up the box of curly fries he and the boys had been eating earlier.

William grimaced at _'Billy'_, but stuck his hands in his pockets –slacks, Gar noticed with a fleeting glance to his own basketball shorts—and shook his head. "No, thank you. That's quite alright. I met Rachel here earlier today, and seeing her here, I just decided to say hello."

"She's right here, no need to talk about me as if I'm not," Rachel said with a slight sense of disdain.

"Look," William turned towards her. "I think we got off on the wrong start. How about we meet for coffee some time?"

"I don't drink it," came her immediate reply.

"Or something else, anything. Come on, give a guy a chance." He smiled charmingly, and even though she got the feeling it was a meeting room smile, she was reminded of the handsome impression he gave her when she first saw him.

Garfield watched with burning eyes as her cold resolve ever so unnoticeably slipped. Only the Titans, who'd known her for years, could see it. William simply assumed he'd won from the beginning; there hadn't been a girl yet to turn him down.

"Manny's Café, eleven Friday morning. Don't be surprised if I don't show up, though." She turned to her friends, and faltered slightly when she saw them all watching the blonde to her left. He was watching William with a glare she'd only seen him wear a select few times. "Let's go, we've been in the mall long enough for the day."

As the group left, the shorter boy standing directly behind the dark girl to purposely block William's view of her, his 'meeting room smile' dissolved into a cold sneer. His fingers snapped and a businessman from a table and another from line at Tom Wahl's moved to his side. Each put a corded phone in their right ear, and followed William out of the door.

They got in a sleek car with tinted windows, and when seated William took out a pad of yellow paper and wrote five cursive words in red ink.

.:..:..:.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Beast Boy," she said sharply, "You were about ready to start World War Three back there. And what did we tell you about nicknaming people?! Remember the whole _'Dick'_ incident?"

When the team had gotten back, they put all their shopping bags away and taken their halo rings off. None of them were in the mood to change, so they kept in what they had worn to the mall. Beast Boy had thrown himself on the couch, not much in the mood to do anything. Raven had other plans, though, and stood right in his line of vision to question him.

He turned his head into the couch cushion and sighed before grumbling a little and propping himself up on his elbows. His back curved backwards and he took the opportunity to stretch. He ignored her impatient snarl and lazily closed his eyes. "I just didn't like the way he was looking at…"

She raised a brow. "Looking at whom?"

"Us," he said and opened his eyes. "Like we were targets."

She hummed lowly. "I think you're being-"

"I'm not being any-"

"-paranoid, which is perfectly fi-"

"-thing, just stating-"

"-ne, but I don't need you doing everything for me."

"-the obvious." His eyes glittered with clear stubbornness.

"I can protect myself," she stated with deliberate syllables.

He looked at her, silent, for some time. Both of them burned with a fiery intent, neither willing to let the other win. After a couple minute-ticks of the clock, he averted his eyes down to the ground and moved to a sitting position. "Yeah," he said softly. "I know. Just… sometimes it's nice to know that I'm not hurting someone, and the best way to do that is to make sure nothing happens."

She wasn't sure what to say, so her mouth opened uselessly and then slid closed again.

"I've already failed to keep three of the most important people to me safe, just let me make sure I don't have to go through that again, okay?"

Before she could respond, he stood up and brushed by her, headed towards his room. She cast her gaze to the ground and folded her hands, fingers fumbling over each other. She was suddenly overcome with a hate of standing, but sitting down would be like admitting defeat.

So instead of picking between the two, she teleported to her room and lied down. Her attention was caught by a black dress cover, hanging from her curtain rod and glaring at her tauntingly. She'd chosen a dress that offered skin only on her arms and face, and now she was asking herself if she'd ever be daring… bold and brave. If Beast Boy said that going to a café with some mystery man was dangerous, then maybe she ought to go.

Her life had always been timid steps and careful words. It hadn't been working out so well, it seemed. Her father nearly destroyed life on Earth, she'd been deceived by an evil _book, _she was a 'creepy' recluse, and she had a total of five friends. Maybe if she just tried something new, something interesting… maybe things could be different.

She looked at her dress again and frowned. Her mind was made up then, two days after the party she'd be going to Manny's Café. Eleven o'clock in the morning.


	2. Losing Marbles

**Sorry about how long this took guys! I've had so much on my plate, and I redid this chapter five times and honestly, I wish I could have put a little more action into it. This one may be a little boring, but the next chapter will have all sorts of stuff actually happening. I'll hopefully have the next chapter posted by mid-July or so.**

* * *

Unfortunately for Raven, Starfire remembered the shoes. The alien came speeding into the ops. room, the last in, and headed straight to where Raven was sitting on the couch. "Friend Raven! How could you have let me forget about the shoes yesterday?"

The empath blinked. "Never crossed my mind."

"Well, we must go out today. We need only visit one store, but the shoes are a necessity!" Starfire, satisfied with her decision, claimed her seat next to Robin over at the kitchenette's island. He slid over a plate of eggs and a bottle of mustard that he'd gotten ready for her earlier. "Thank you, Robin."

"No problem, Star." He leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her temple and continued on with his newspaper.

Raven watched the exchange with a conflicted expression before shaking her head and returning her attention to her novel. She was unaware of a pair of dark, green eyes carefully assessing her every minute movement. He noticed the shift in her eyes, the tiny flicker of an odd trait to see in the half-demoness.

In a sense, anyways, he figured. It was a bit of a mixture between longing, something he knew she felt often, and the odd one: jealousy. Sure, Raven would get jealous from time to time. Never, though, would she allow herself to become envious of what a teammate had or was. She was above that.

When she began sensing a weird burning on the right side of her face, she moved her head to look over in that direction. He was able to flick his gaze forward again before she noticed, but decided to keep his eyes to himself just in case. She looked at Beast Boy for a bit, taking in his somber posture with a little guilt, before pursing her lips and trying once more to finish her page. She knew that their discussion yesterday brought back rough memories for him, and she decidedly didn't want to dwell on it.

This wasn't a good time to be reading a book she'd already read nine times, it seemed. It was easy to let her mind wander while still knowing what the text read. _'We followed his finger with sinking hearts. Calpu-'_

"Hey there, Rae. Whataya readin'?" He'd moved from his seat, rather far away, it was a wonder she hadn't noticed his movement, to take one rather more… closer to her.

"Probably the most over-referenced book known to mankind. Can I help you?" She scooted over a little to put a couple inches between them, removing her shoulder from his.

He shuffled to close the space between them again. "I dunno, can you?"

"No."

He smiled jovially, then it turned sinister. "Are you sure you don't want to… try, anyways?"

Her eyes widened instantaneously at the lewd tone of voice he'd taken on. "Excuse you?" she asked incredulously.

Laughing with sheer mirth, he rubbed his forehead back and forth against her shoulder. "You know ya love me, Ravey."

She hummed doubtfully and rammed her shoulder into his head, causing him to roll his head to the back of the couch and whine. "You're such an infant," she remarked before returning to her novel. "How old are you going to be turning, again?"

"Age of consent in every state."

Her book was slammed back down into her lap. "What is wrong with you today?" she spluttered.

"Would you like to find out?"

While Beast Boy sat there snickering, Raven closed her novel and stood. On her way out of the ops. room, she latched onto Starfire's arm and dragged her along, muttering nonsensically about green cretins and shoe shopping.

Robin cut his gaze to the cheerful teen on the couch and asked wearily, "What are you doing?"

Beast Boy turned his head slowly to face his leader and sneered playfully. "Why Robin, I have no idea what you're talking about." That said, he stood and ran out the door, turning towards the habitat level.

The boy wonder sighed and rubbed his temple. "I've gotta ditch this joint."

.:..:..:.

"Oh, Friend Raven! Are these shoes not spectacular?" Starfire held up a pair of two inch, strappy, and bright pink heels.

She was beginning to regret opting away from halo rings this outing as people turned to stare. "Uh-huh, too bad they don't go with either of our outfits," she drawled.

"Oh, yes. That is no good, is it? I will purchase them anyways! For use at another time." The alien smiled and shuffled through the boxes for a pair her size.

"Right…" Raven turned back to the pair she was holding. They had heels of about an inch and a half, covering everything except the tips of the toes, and ending mid-calf. They felt like leather and were stained black, little silver buckles confined a strap to the top of the boot as decoration. Not really in the mood to keep searching, she reached for her size and told Starfire that she was ready to pay.

They had been out all afternoon. While Starfire had originally promised the necessity of only one store, this would make store number six. They stopped at the food court for lunch, and occasionally went in a store if it looked interesting. Mainly, however, the day was filled with shoe shopping.

The last shoe store they'd visited, Raven caught sight of a man with eerily recognizable blond hair. She didn't have the opportunity to see his face, but she knew that the hair was a trait she'd seen before… then she blinked and he was gone.

The taller girl looked up from her position on the floor and seemed to consider something, from the look on her face. "You look tired, Raven." She took the shoes from her hands. "I'll take care of these, go rest and I'll finish up here."

"No, you don't have to-"

"I do not recall seeing you meditate this morning, friend," Starfire ushered her away by waving her hands about. "Go! I do not wish to shop with the beets of the dead."

Raven eventually turned away to leave, but still grumbled dismally. "_Beet of the dead?_ I'm not a deadbeat, I'll show her. Beet of the dead. Pft. Oh! Sorry, didn't see yo- are you stalking me?"

"Wha-pfft, me? Stalking?"

"Beast Boy," she intoned darkly, but quietly enough that none of the other shoppers heard.

He laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Stalking? No. Watching, now that would be a yes."

"I thought I saw a mysteriously familiar mob of blond from the shoe store. Why did you wear your ring if you're not stalking?" She circled him slowly, looking him over like a wolf does a meal.

"I didn't want attract any attention. Like you're doing now."

"Oh really? So when I ran into you and you looked about ready to run for your life, that's not attention-drawing?" She stopped behind him, waiting for him to turn around and respond. He replied, but he stayed facing away.

"Umm… no?"

"And what are the slacks for?"

"Something… new?"

She nodded slowly. "Really…? Garfield. If you're going to wear slacks, you can't wear a RUN-D.M.C. shirt, too."

He whirled around to face her, expression indignant. "I told you! Something new!"

Raven rolled her eyes and walked past him. "Whatever, I'm heading home. Are you coming with me?"

"I'm sure I've got fifteen minutes to spare… _oof!_"

"Will. You. _Cut that out?"_

.:..:..:.

After Raven had teleported Beast Boy and herself back to the tower, in rather different areas of the property, she headed to her room to enjoy the second to last day of peace before the party. Starfire was right, she really needed to meditate. When she made to enter her room, though, she froze in the open doorway. Out of place, propped up on her pillow was a picture of the roof, bay and sunset in the background.

She furrowed a brow, then slowly walked to the bed and gingerly picked the photo up. She studied it a moment before opening a dark portal below her.

The roof was empty, as usual, until she turned around at the clearing of a throat. Beast Boy, green as normal, stood about five feet away from her in front of a small table with a lone, covered plate. A plethora of candles littered the table and cast an orange glow over the roof. The sky above was dimming now, and she could see the quarter moon start to stand out from its position above them.

She looked back to Beast Boy and observed his slightly damp hair from his drop in the harbor. "What's this?"

He fidgeted a little, "Well, with the team celebrating your birthday early tomorrow and the party on the actual day, I figure you might want a night to yourself."

She smiled briefly. "So you make suggestive comments to scare me off, and then come set this up?" He nodded once. "So why did you follow me around at the mall?"

"Umm…"

"That's a popular answer for you lately, isn't it? Worried I'll see William again?" When he didn't answer and simply cast his eyes down, she walked over and lifted the lid on the plate. "Real chicken?"

"Would you have preferred tofu?"

"You cooked meat yourself? Or…" He cast his eyes down again. "Well, here's hoping you know how to cook chicken."

Beast Boy grinned lightly. He opened his mouth, prepared to announce his riddance, when Raven slapped the lid back on the plate.

"I deny you the right of a valediction." Ignoring his clear confusion, she picked up the plate and brought it with her to the edge of the roof, and when he only stood there: moved to bring him over as well. She sat down, lifted the lid, and took out the side dish of pasta. "Are you joining me or not?"

He reluctantly made to sit down beside her, and was even slower to take the pasta.

"Roar," she deadpanned. He responded by giving her a distasteful look. "Look, yeah: I want to have some time to myself. I appreciate what you've done here for me. That's why I want you to join me. Besides, how often do I allow you to be within three feet of me?"

"I guess I can't pass this up then, can I?"

She smirked lightly. "I guess not."

They were silent a moment, starting in on their dinners. Raven made a little noise, and covered it up by pretending to cough. Beast Boy looked over and raised a brow. "Really? Did you just try that?"

"Try… what?"

"You made a noise, and then fake coughed."

"I'm positive that I have no idea what you're talking about."

He frowned. "Are you seriously trying to deny it?"

"Deny what? I didn't do anything," she huffed out.

"Yes you did!"

"You're positively atrocious."

"You're positively heinous."

"Well… in order for you to insult me, I would first need to find value in your opinion."

He stared at her a moment, blank faced and unable to conjure words. Then he burst out laughing. "You… are impossible." He took another forkful of pasta and chewed it thoughtfully, watching her sigh from the corner of his eye. He swallowed, "Hey Rae. What's a malediction?"

"An act of true evil intent or malevolence."

Beast Boy coughed a little, trying to think of how to respond.

Thankfully, she interrupted him before he had to. "However, a _val_ediction, that would be the act of bidding farewell."

"That… makes more sense."

She smirked and took another bite of her chicken. "This is really good, Gar."

"Ah, so that was that noise," he snickered. "A noise of appreciation for my delicious cooking. Even if it is that nasty animal."

Raven silenced him with a flick of her wrist, her powers snapping at both of his wrists.

"Ow!" He shook his hands out and glared playfully at her. He took a deep breath, getting lost in the way the last rays of the sun reflected in her ethereal eyes. The soft wind played with her short hair, wisping gently along her jawline.

She caught his stare and lifted a hand to her mouth. "What, something on my face?"

He smiled, "Yeah…"

"What is it?" She swiped her fingers along her whole face, searching for the offending item.

"A major organ."

She scoffed, and with the fact that she did so to cover a small laugh, she flicked her hood over her head. "Dunce."

Shoveling the last of the pasta in his mouth, he swiped her hood back down. He nodded and swallowed, "Yeah, but that's all part of the charm." She shook her head, but he ignored it and set his dish off to the side. Heaving a sigh, he dropped his head down onto her shoulder. While she didn't move to rid herself of him, she grumbled profusely in between the final bites of her dinner.

Once she finished, she put her plate down and moved her arms back behind her. Her right hand accidentally brushed him, and before she could be embarrassed, she was bemused by the feel of paper in his back pocket. He hadn't seemed to notice… so maybe perhaps if she just gently slipped it out…

She suddenly pulled back from him and leapt up to her feet. Unfolding the sheet, she stopped dead in her tracks. He ran up to her to see what her deal was, but also halted when he noticed what was in her hands. He thought he'd put that away… elsewhere. "I can explain-" he started.

"Explain what?!" She whirled on him. "You didn't send me off to do this dinner for me, you sent me off to take this from my room. I think it's as simple as that," she seethed, the paper crumpling in her hand. "Here I was, thinking you did this sweet thing because maybe you valued at least our friendship, but you don't even believe in me to handle myself?"

He shook his head, reaching for her arm. She pulled back as if his touch were venomous. "No, Raven. I don't know why I took that paper, this was what I wanted to do," he swept his hands around in gesture to the roof. "That was just there and I just all of a sudden needed to… take it."

"Are you sure?" She bit. "Because I remember you telling me not to go, so why shouldn't I believe that all you wanted from this was to take my reminder off my bulletin. What, do you think I can't remember this without a stupid note? _Manny's Café, eleven A.M.. _Well, that was hard to recite. Trust goes hand in hand with any kind of relationship, Gar, but I think you've just lost mine. Azar, why do you even care about me going to this café?"

"It's not you going to the café that I care about, it's you!" He was so close to her now, yelling at her even if his nose was nearly touching hers.

She shook her head. Quiet now, ever so quiet, she said with staccato: "Then why do I get the feeling that _you_ don't trust _me_?"

He looked pained for a moment, and for the first time ever, she didn't care. Then he straightened up and swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing as if he was having trouble doing so.

She grasped her hood and drew it forcefully over her face as she turned to leave. As she started walking, she threw a balled piece of paper at him. It bounced off his chest, rolling around a little on the ground before stilling. When she was gone, he growled and stalked to the edge of the roof, walking straight off, free falling for two stories before letting the wind carry him in the form of a hawk. Normally when he shifts into a bird, it's into a raven.

Tonight, though, he wasn't really feeling in the mood to do so.

.:..:..:.

Raven doesn't cry. Never. She's nearly eighteen, old enough to deal with things like an adult. Crying is for pre-adolescents. So she sits on her bed, perched rigidly on her pillows, and stares at the wall to her left.

Last night she'd come storming down into her room. When objects began shooting around and smashing, she'd evened her breath and entered a meditative trance. Starfire was right, she needed her meditation. Every time Raven skipped it in the morning, she became vulnerable to the chance that her powers would cause havoc on her mental stability, seeping into the tangible assortment.

She didn't sleep, meditating until two in the morning. It was then five hours that she spent sitting on her pillow and staring at various objects around her room. When she was decidedly done studying the wall, she slid her gaze slowly to her desk. What she saw made her frown. She used her powers to bring a shard of a statuette into her hand. She stared down at it, and _no_. The green hue of the stone did _not _moisten her eyes just the tiniest bit.

Growling, she stood and swept all damaged items into a trash bin. The articles worth saving, the ones that weren't beyond it, she put in a pile on one of her desks. Time to grow up, she decided. Reaching into her closet, she pulled out her usual uniform and changed. As she stalked into the hallway, she threw her cape over her shoulders and relaxed at the familiar feel.

The moment the ops. room doors flew open, Raven was greeted with a loud _pop_. "Joyous early birthday to you, Friend!"

Raven stood, blinked, blew a petal of confetti off of her nose. "Thanks… Starfire."

"Come! You must indulge in waffles this fine morning!" The ever-jubilant girl latched onto her arm and dragged her into a seat, where Cyborg set down a plate of warm waffles.

"Oh… um. Thanks."

"Everything alright, Raven?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Thank you for your concern, Robin, but I'm fine. Just a little tired is all." She gave him a small smile and turned her attention down to her breakfast. Just as she placed a piece in her mouth, she heard the loud sound of skin against skin.

She looked up sharply to see Starfire glaring at Beast Boy, who was rubbing his arm and pouting lightly. When he finally met her eyes, he dropped his hand. "Happy early birthday, Ravey," he said softly.

Swallowing her forkful of food and nodding meaningfully, she cleared her throat. "Thank you, Gar."

He smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern." After a moment a wave of black energy smacked him behind the head. "Now I am."

Beast Boy knew he wasn't forgiven yet, not even close. But her acceptance of his mistakes and her ability to see above them was more than enough for him at the moment. He really couldn't ask for much more. So he rubbed the back of his head and sighed, letting his smile slip and saying nothing more. He decided that he'd call her on her own crap later, when she was calmer; amiable.

After all, she was the one who started this mess by ogling Billy.

Raven felt kind of uncomfortable finishing her waffles, the rest of the team just kind of… staring at her until she was done. That was them, though, she guessed. Robin being socially awkward, Starfire being impatient and patient all at once, Cyborg being excited to get onto the next activity, and Beast Boy rocking the boat with Cy. She had to set herself to shoveling the last of her meal into her mouth to escape the scrutiny.

The minute she finished, barely having swallowed, Cyborg latched onto her arm and dragged her down to the couch. Everybody sat down on the tips of the cushions, save for Raven who was still trying to orient herself from being thrown onto the furniture. Cy pushed a button from the panel in his arm and a large net flopped to the ground in front of the couch. Not a second later, a pile of wrapped presents fell on top. Some of the bundles tumbled from the top down to the group's feet, one landing on top of Raven's boot.

She picked it up. "I guess this one's first…" she drawled. Scanning it over, the precisely measured and careful wrapping was clearly Cyborg's. His mental capabilities gave him the ability to wrap to a tee.

Slipping her finger beneath a crease and dragging it under the tape, she slowly opened the gift. Hearing the groans, she smirked and tore the paper off. Then… blinked. "What… what is this?" She raised a brow at Cyborg.

"What? You don't like it?" He feigned offence.

"Oh no, I love it. It's a wonderful… cardboard box."

He snickered and shuffled through the pile. "Here," he tossed her another immaculately wrapped present. She took the paper off and smiled lightly as she took the lid off of the box. She looked down at a glass figurine with a slight awe. Pulling the small piece out, she admired the dual masks of Melpomene and Thalia. "It's made out of bulletproof glass, so it's harder to shatter."

"Beautiful _and _durable." She turned it over in her hands and admired the light it reflected. "Thank you."

He shrugged. "Welcome."

She set the figurine back into its box and set it safely to the side. She reached over and picked up the next present.

The rest of the presents were kind of unpredictable. The team usually wrapped the presents differently so she couldn't guess who it was to wrap what. Past Cyborg's two perfect wrappings, all of his other gifts were unidentifiable. The fourth present she opened, excluding Cyborg's gag, was one of the luxury items she tended to receive. She lifted the exclusive item from the box and nearly choked.

In her hands was a worn edition of Poe's _The Raven_. It was clearly first edition. "Edouard Manet," she whispered, reading a handwritten tag that was snugged neatly between the cover and title page. "Signed, one two-hundred and fifty copies." She whipped around to face each of her teammates, however each was playing a perfect poker face. "Mmm…" she narrowed her eyes. "No. Who got this?" When she waited a few solid minutes and didn't get an answer, she sighed. "Well, whichever of you it was, _thank you_." She gazed at the book with a tenderness that, on any other face, might have been considered a little scary.

She cleared her throat abruptly and gingerly set the book down. The next present was a collection of various types of herbal teas, then a hand-painted china plate, after that a plush purple pillow. There were several more practical items as well. The last gift was the largest, sitting ominously in the center of the fallen net. She sighed and stood, examining the box and its balloon printed paper. 'Happy Birthday!' it read in neon bubble letters.

Reaching for a crease, she flicked downwards. The tab fell open, and she tore the bright paper off. She blinked… blinked again… and frowned. An expensive, luxury…. Gag gift. Standing before her was an outdoor, above ground pool. "What on _earth_ am I going to use this for?"

"For swimming," Beast Boy snickered. "Obvously."

She flicked her gaze up to him, but caught a movement in the corner of her eye. Robin was smirking. "You," she hissed, turning on him. "This was you."

He didn't deny it.

"Go ahead, open it. Check it out," Robin shrugged.

She gave him a curious look and lifted the lid to the box. "Oh." She blinked slowly. She used her black energy to lift a deep cherry-ish mahogany dresser from the box. Setting it on the floor, she inspected. "This… this is nice." She ran a hand over its smooth surface. "This is very nice." Then she opened the top drawer and frowned, slamming it shut. She checked the other two, same result. "This… this is not funny." She rounded on Robin. "This is not very funny at all."

Robin smirked, but the other three were oblivious. "What is it?" Starfire floated over and drew open a drawer. "Oh." She announced, much like Raven had before. The she smiled and giggled. _"Oh." _She beckoned Cyborg over and showed him.

"Wait, what? What is it?" Beast Boy hopped around, trying to see past the four heads blocking his view. Finally, he just morphed into a fly and flew over. What he saw made him shift back and ultimately fall on top of Cyborg. He hopped up, red in the face. "I…" He glanced at Raven, who was glowering at Robin because _yes_. Robin had stocked the drawers full of Beast Boy's clothes. "I was wondering where my stuff went…"

.:..:..:.

That evening, the quintuplet headed out to Raven's preferred Italian restaurant. She was still a little miffed at Robin's stunt, but she took it in stride because she really _did _like that dresser. It matched the furniture that she was looking at to refurnish her room. Beast Boy was a little awkward the whole while after that, but with his vegetable plate came solace. He loved Italian for several reasons, one being their appreciation for simple meals that didn't require large quantities of butchered animal.

Granted, the Italians loved meat, but they didn't give dirty looks when he asked for them to not add meat.

The table was silent for a while, simply basking in the quiet murmurs of the other tables. The dim candlelight around them cast a warm glow, and Raven tried her damndest to keep last night out of her mind. When she started failing at that, she coughed. A little loud, actually, half the table jumped. "Thank you, for this nice day. I appreciate it."

The group voiced that it was no problem, what? No, yes it was a problem. Shut up, Beast Boy. Ow! I was kidding! Happiest of birthdays, friend! I know which present was your favorite…

It was all kind of jumbled, really.

"Yeah…" she drew out. Thankfully, the waiter returned with their dishes. Raven twirled her fork in her pesto covered spaghetti and brought a bite to her mouth. The warm, rich flavor had her closing her eyes and chewing slowly; savoring. She felt a pair of eyes and turned her head just in time to see Beast Boy snap his gaze down to his salad. She frowned.

She didn't remove her eyes from him until he looked up, and forced him to hold her gaze. Her eyes narrowed and she silently asked him if he'd be doing this all night. He pretended not to know what she was talking – or glaring, I guess – about and shoved some lettuce into his mouth. He shrugged, smirked, and started a conversation with Starfire.

"So, Raven."

She turned her head. "Yes?"

"You're being awfully quiet lately," Cyborg prodded gently.

"And I'm not… usually?"

"Well," he fumbled a little. "More quiet than usual, I guess."

Raven shrugged lightly. "Just thinking, is all. Have a lot going on, you know?"

"Yeah," Robin leaned over from where he was lounging passively in his chair. "With the party, William, you and Beast Boy…"

She would have spit out her beverage if she were drinking anything. "What?"

"World class detective, I see you guys eying each other."

"Uh," she spluttered indignantly, somehow maintaining the quiet volume they'd been conversing in. "So you jump to the conclusion that we're… _together_?"

He smirked. "I never said that, but the guilty mind speaks the truth." He waggled his brows, or… the top of his mask, and Cyborg snickered. "And I've got outside sources."

"Ugh, you are _unbelievable_."

"Please, who is the unbelievable, friends?"

Apparently done with her conversation with Beast Boy, Starfire turned and stared questioningly at Raven. "Nobody, Starfire. So. How's your pizza?"

"Oh!" She smiled brightly. "It is most unlike the pizza we get normally, but it tastes wonderful!"

Raven lifted a corner of her mouth and nodded. "That's good." They sat in silence, just eating their dinners in the comfortable air. "So," Raven slurred, "That Poe collection is rather nice." She looked at each of their faces, but they held only raised brows or casual expressions. "Oh come on!"

.:..:..:.

When they got back to the tower, Raven pulled Robin a little closer and whispered in a 'discreet manner'. Which, really, was completely obvious and had Beast Boy stiffening slightly at their closeness.

He frowned. What was that for? Promptly, he shook his head and strode to the kitchen.

"Hey," Raven sniffed, "What's this… outside source you mentioned?"

"Hmm…? Oh! You mean about you and Beast Boy?"

"Hushhhhheshhh!" She whipped her head around to make sure nobody heard, but none of them even batted an eye. Well, as far as she could tell. Cyborg and Beast Boy were facing the opposite direction on the couch.

"Oo…kay. Well, here." He tossed her the day's newspaper.

She stared, horrified, at the headlines.

_"Raven's Secret Lover," _she read aloud. In retrospect, that in itself was a bad idea. The two that didn't read the newspaper, Starfire and Beast Boy, came rushing over.

Each exclaimed in much different tones: "_What?"_

She turned away from them, scanning her eyes over the picture and then moving her frantic eyes to the article. She mumbled bits and pieces, such as: _"seen in the mall," "cell videos," "blatantly flirting," "fashion disaster," "Garfield," _and Robin's personal favorite.

_ "I'm heading home. Are you coming with me?"_

Starfire snatched the paper from the other girl's hands. She read, slower and louder than Raven had, _"The dark Titan seems to have taken a liking to a civilian teenager. The two were seen in the mall, the encounter caught on a few lucky cell videos. It's clear that the two were blatantly flirting, and despite the boy being rather handsome one has to question the fashion disaster he is. Even Raven pointed out his mismatched slacks and tee. She, bless her soul, gives his name of Garfield in her comment. She then proceeds to announce: "I'm heading home. Are you coming with me?" Clearly an intimate relationship, we'll definitely be following up."_

"Why is this even in the newspaper?" Raven exclaimed, "What ever happened to the weather?"

Beast Boy took the paper and stared, blankly, at the picture provided. Raven and his disguised self stood a mere three inches apart, studying each other and in mid-conversation.

"Huh," he offered before grinning cheekily. "I'm gonna have fun with this."

Raven groaned and snapped the paper from his hands, ripping it three times and disposing of it in the trash. "This is _not _going to end well. Dear Azar, what'll happen when you win the bet?" She took advantage of the fact that her back was to him and let a small smirk slip before dismissing it again.

"The be-… what bet?" He scrunched his nose. "Oh! The-that bet! See! Even you know that I'm gonna win!" He grinned and bounded over to Cyborg and urged him out the room for his 'official starting height' measurement.

As soon as Beast Boy was out of sight, Raven grunted some sort of semblance to a laugh. The two remaining Titans glanced once at each other before looking sourly at her.

Robin, having already offered Raven her doubts about stringing the boy along in private, left Starfire to her devices. "Friend, this is most unhealthy. If he loses the bet, he will be very much disheartened," she advised wearily. "Stop now?"

Raven paused, tapped the rim of her mug, having just taken it from the cupboard, with her index finger, and blew out a breath. "No thank you." She prepped the water and tea. "I'm rather enjoying this."

The two sighed and gave up. When Raven was enjoying herself, there was nothing to stop her. Star brought it upon herself to change the subject. "So, Raven. Are you forward looking at your party of births?"

She grunted, "Not particularly. Although, the chance to make an utter fool of myself in a ridiculous dress, watch as underage and far overage people drink themselves unto oblivion, and suffer through the four of you pressing me to dance sounds _rather _appetizing." She rolled her eyes.

The alien girl frowned briefly before drawing forth another smile. "Wait just until the event, Friend, and I am sure your mind will be changed."

Raven tidied up a small spill she made and then placed the tea box neatly back into the cupboard. "Let's hope." She then sipped her tea, frowned, added a drop of honey, and promptly left for her room.

.:..:..:.

Raven nearly fell out of her bed the next morning when she was woken by an incessant pounding on her door. She stood, patted down an upright hair, and sluggishly dragged herself to the door.

Earlier that morning, around the time of four, she woke up to the… ehm, _needs_, of her bladder. After that she couldn't fall asleep so she meditated for an hour and tried again. It worked, of course not for long because it's five forty-two and she's slept for a total of three minutes.

The door opened to reveal Starfire, multiple bags in hand. "Are you ready to start preparing, Raven?"

"Wh- Star? The party doesn't start until seven at night. That's more than thirteen hours away."

"But there is so much to do during the day, we haven't much time. Come," she entered her room and dropped her materials on Raven's bed. "First thing is first, Friend." She pulled out two bottles, slick and black with red caps. "Shampoo and conditioner, the bottle advertises the best and shiniest hair! And this is supposed to 'nourish the skin'." She brought forth another, this time pink, bottle. "Go! I will return in a half of an hour!" She pointed to the door of Raven's bathroom as she flew out the door and to her own room to get herself ready.

Raven stood there, bottles in hand, for a moment. And yes, it did hurt when she pinched herself.

A half hour later found Raven in a pair of shorts and a tank top, hair carefully combed and a drop of water away from dripping. Starfire was explaining the importance of Raven's morning rituals. For, if she were to stray, she would be very unfocused for the rest of the day. Raven informed Starfire of how the early shower already threw off her morning balance, and Starfire frowned and brought Raven to the roof to meditate.

"You need a calm mind for tonight, so meditate until you are entirely satisfied with the peace it has provided," she smiled. Raven supposed this was one of the daily activities that took time away from getting ready that Star mentioned. "The wind and rising sun will also help to dry your hair naturally."

"Great," she drawled. As soon as the energized girl disappeared down the stairs, Raven took a deep breath and stared at the water a moment. The she floated, crossed her legs, and shut her eyes to breath her mantra. She felt herself slipping into a mental nothingness, a clear space for her to sort relevant versus troubling thoughts.

She hadn't noticed how much time had passed until she was in the kitchen, and everybody else was in there. She glanced at the clock and was amazed to find it was one in the afternoon. "Happy birthday," Cyborg smiled.

"Thanks…" she glanced around to find the others deeply immersed in the news. She turned a questioning glance at Cyborg.

"You missed it, they just finished a story. It should come around again in another ten minutes or so, if you wanna check it out." He winked.

She moved to take a seat, finding the only available seating to be at Beast Boy's left. The small dip in the couch from her weight alerted Beast Boy of her presence. He turned to say 'Happy birthday', but all he got out was "Hapfghhh…" as he grimaced and narrowed his eyes. He leaned toward her a little and reached out hesitantly.

She swallowed, blinked, and questioned him with her eyes. He wasn't looking at her eyes though. His reaching hand slipped through her hair, the strands slithering over his fingers smoothly.

"New shampoo?" He questioned distractedly, flicking his gaze to her eyes briefly before returning his attention back to her hair.

"Yes…? How'd you-" she cut off, unsure how to finish the question.

"Smells different, looks different, feels different…" Beast Boy had taken on a low, quiet, deeper voice as if in a deep, sensual fascination. Then he realized what he was doing and his voice rose back to normal. He took his hand back, but didn't move away. "Not that, you know, I smell it or look at it, or feel it! Y'know. Usually. Ever." He coughed and leaned back into his seat.

She licked her lower lip, bit it, then leaned back as well.

"Here it is, Raven!" Cyborg shouted from the kitchen.

Raising her glance, she saw a story starting on the TV.

"_This is Vicki Vale, reporting to you live from the center of Gotham. We've heard reports of a man dressed as the Joker, demanding an audience with the Batman. He's even gone so far as to draw a gun and hold a woman hostage. Police have taken custody of the man, refusing to distribute his name as of yet, and the woman has left for her home unharmed. However, under recent investigation, Gotham Police have discovered that the gun was not loaded with bullets, rather a round of marbles. We wish we could tell you more, but it seems the Batman has stolen the evidence, leaving behind a note saying he'll return them when he's finished."_

"That's bizarre," she commented lightly. The others nodded slowly.

"_I'm Vicki Vale of-"_

Robin shut the TV off. "Glad I moved," he mumbled.

Starfire stood up and snatched Raven's hand. "We must get started, Raven. We have only five hours!"

"Oh _no_," she rolled her eyes but followed anyways.

* * *

**And yes, Joker-wannabe comes into play later. So you don't jump me for putting a random Gotham snip in here. ;3**


End file.
